Foundations
by justsomeone2010
Summary: Loki and Darcy are together, but their relationship's reaching breaking point. Is it worth fighting for, or are some things best left behind? Inspired by Kate Nash's Foundations.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

It was happening again. It always happened like this.

Darcy threw the pot across the room and Loki ducked just in time, the cooking implement clanging against the kitchen wall loudly. An outraged scream echoed with it. Darcy was fuming, cheeks red and eyes blazing as Loki stayed standing.

"I hate you, Loki! Why do you always have to correct me like that?!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, hand reaching at the kitchen counter for something else to lob. She wasn't the least bit remorseful when it turned out to be pair of scissors. "Why do you always have to make me feel so stupid?!"

Loki dodged the aerodynamic weapon as it flew, the twang of the blades embedding in the wall behind only fuelling him on more. "I only pointed out you needed to slice the mushrooms before you put them in the saucepan!" he shot back, his own green orbs holding a similar fire to Darcy's as he pulled his arms down from protecting his head. "They won't cook right if you just put them in whole!"

The dinner lay forgotten and splayed over the kitchen. The liquid in the saucepan was bubbling fiercely, the stench of the overheating Vermouth starting to become overpowering. It made their eyes water as the couple attacked each other across the kitchen, but neither one seemed to care. Loki just hoped Darcy didn't fling the pan – the scalding liquid would be harder to avoid.

This was the third time this had happened this week. And it was always due to similarly insignificant things.

Loki grabbed at the bag of risotto rice beside him on the counter and lobbed it at Darcy's body. Her body curled defensively and it bounced hard off her arm.

"Ow!" She yelped.

"Oh, get over it, Darcy!" Loki rolled his eyes, nursing a dangerous glint. "That hardly hurt, even if you are mortal! I, unlike some people, know not to attack people with violent weapons!"

"Cretin!"

"Child!"

Darcy opened her mouth to shoot back the insult that sprung to her tongue, but caught herself just in time. 'Murderer' echoed in her head. She bit her lip, holding back the remark.

That was always a step too far. The deadly glint in Loki's eyes already sparked a flicker of fear within her – albeit, one she refused to submit to – his old nature creeping through. To accuse him would send him over the edge. She'd done that before. She regretted it more than anything.

She felt like she was bursting over, knowing Loki would take her hesitation as a victory on his part. And she hated it. Really hated it.

But did she want to feel his wrath again? No. That was something best left forgotten.

Darcy turned on her heel and stormed away, literally screaming her frustration. She stomped and banged, fighting with the house to get to their bed room. She swore the door made a cracking noise when she slammed it.

She pressed her back against it, and knocked her fist back into the wood as hard as she could. She cried out as something in her hand gave way.

Clutching her hurt hand she bowed forward at the waist, hips still pinned to ensure the door stayed in place. Not that that could stop Loki. He may not have his magic or strength anymore but he was still stronger and more cunning than she. There was no escape if he wanted to find you.

Darcy knew she had a maximum of ten minutes before his anger would drain and he would come after her. No doubt he heard her shout of pain. Maybe that would shorten her time even more. Damn, she cursed in her head, biting her lip against the tears forming in her eyes. Her hand really hurt!

Then she was crying about more than just her hand as her fury slipped. She hated this. A year since Loki had been banished from Asgard for his crimes and reduced to being a mortal, stripped of all his godly powers. To him it was both a curse and a blessing; he was weak, but at least he wasn't Jotun anymore. He wasn't as much an outcast as he was before.

And Darcy had taken pity on him… _why?, _she growled in her head, wiping the tears away angrily. Why when the bastard did things like this?!

A part of her knew she was being unreasonable, but she didn't care. Only she and Loki could make a row out of slicing mushrooms.

For a while they'd been happy, sharing an apartment in the city, Loki getting a job while Darcy continued to study under Stark's company with Jane. He'd managed to bag himself a teaching job with the fake background S.H.I.E.L.D had moulded for him. Sure, he was the most dangerous criminal they'd ever had and the greatest threat to Earth… but by giving him a new identity they'd given him a chance to quell himself. And what more could he do? He was powerless now. Even if he tried to kick a fuss again, the best it would achieve would be a spell in mortal jail.

Even Loki knew resistance was futile.

Still, Darcy didn't believe him evil. Never. Misunderstood… maybe that was too sentimental, but along those lines. He'd never done bad things for the sake of doing bad things. There was always a good reason.

She couldn't even begin to understand what it must have been like for him to find out that everything he'd known about himself was a lie. It was typical of teenage rebellion what he'd done; only he had an army and magic at his disposal. Behind it though, wasn't malice. Like every teenager, he'd grown out of it. He'd found peace.

Until he and Darcy found a new quarrel at least. They were always on their best behaviour when Thor and Jane came round, but even then there were struggles. The sweet newness of their relationship was gone.

Now they were fighting. Always fighting. It was becoming so much work just to be around him now, Darcy often wondered it if was worth it anymore…

She could leave. She could just go. She had no obligation to stay with him. He was just a guy to her, just a boyfriend. He'd the one that had been condemned to stay, not her. She could find someone new and start afresh.

But she knew she'd miss him. Even if she just missed hating him, she'd still miss him. It was a curse!

A thud hit the back of the door, though not in an aggressive way. Another pressure told Darcy he was resting his fist on the other side.

"Darcy." His voice was soft, almost pleading. Though Loki never pleaded for anything. He _negotiated. _Persuaded. Conned. All the same thing. "Darcy, come out. We need to talk about this. Are you okay?"

_Am I okay?!,_ Darcy screamed in her head, outraged, righting her body again, to hold the door back a little longer. She wasn't sure if he'd caught on about her hand or if he was asking about the forming bruise of her arm or her dented heart or her beaten ego… _of course, I'm not okay, you bastard!_

"Darcy, please."

Great. He was going to sweet talk her. Dig in the self-imposed guilt.

"You're hurt. I know you are. Come out, and we can finish dinner and sort this out. I'm calm, I promise."

"Dinners dead, you egit." She barked back through the door, kicking her heel into the wood behind to show she was still aggravated. Tears started to form in her eyes again as she thought of the ruined meal; she'd wanted them to have _one_ nice night and even that had gone wrong. It sucked. She felt like her happiness was as unsavable as the risotto.

"Darcy…"

The tone warned her, though it was gentle. The last impatient imploration.

Then he'd be coming in one way or another. Darcy threw herself reluctantly from the doorway and onto the bed, shouting curses as she forgot about her hand and it crumpled beneath her falling body. She rolled over onto her back, clutching it brokenly.

In that time Loki had barged in, but Darcy's eyes were screwed shut against the pain from the heel of her palm. She felt that vibrations through the room though, as the door rebounded violently off the wall.

"Oh Darcy."

She heard the pity, the sympathy, the _weakness_ that was being projected onto her and Darcy shot her eyes open.

Loki was just stood there, watching her with remorseful eyes. Darcy didn't let up. She wished she'd had just cursed him and be done with it. This feebleness Loki saw her with was just too degrading to bear.

She kicked herself to her feet and stared at him with blazing eyes. She couldn't stay here. She couldn't do this…

"I'm going." She declared firmly. And as soon as she said it, the bedroom seemed all too confining. She needed air. She needed space. "I can't take this anymore. I've got to go."

"Darcy…"

Loki's arms stretched loosely trying to bar her way as Darcy stormed to the door, but she pushed through them effortlessly. He followed her hurriedly. He didn't want her to leave. If she left he'd be alone, alone with nothing but his own thoughts, his own turmoil. He'd twist again into something monstrous. Darcy was the only thing that reminded him he had something to stay for. Something to work for. Something to care for.

"It's ten o'clock at night Darcy – where are you going to go?" Logic was his greatest playing card, though he knew Darcy deemed it cheating when he used clever tactics to confuse and restrict her.

She was too robust, to blunt and bold to accept such sly cunning.

It didn't appeal to her, and she was tugging on her boots by the door to show it. Loki was starting to panic.

His hand shot out for her wrist.

She screamed and her knees buckled, spare fingers clawing at his over her wrist. He saw the tears jump to her eyes and let go immediately, watching the way she snatched her wrist back and cradled it against her body. "That damned hurts!"

Loki closed his ears to the torrent of swearing that tumbled from her lips, guilt swamping him.

He went for her shoulders instead this time, gripping firmly and turning her to him forcefully. His fingers dug into her skin through her shirt, but he didn't let up. If he did, she would leave him.

"You can't go." He forced out through gritted teeth, eyes burning with a combination of hard dread and determination. There was nothing soft about him now.

Darcy stared back mercilessly. "And you're going to stop me?"

Loki refused to let her lead him on. "You can't leave me." He knew he was starting to sound desperate, though his eyes remained solid and hardened. He couldn't help it. The thought of her gone, never to come back, just filled him with ice.

"I can't take this." She bit back harshly. "I can't live like this anymore. I'm sick of fighting and I'm sick of you! I don't want to end up like my mum and dad. I don't even know if I love you anymore…" Her head shook as she glanced up and down Loki's form, drinking in his quickly paling face, the drain in his eyes. What the hell had she seen in this guy?! He was just… a monster. A murderer. An alien.

He looked horrified and Darcy felt his hand son her shoulders loosen. The numbness washed through his body at her words. She… she didn't love him anymore?

_But I love you!,_ wanted to scream back at her. He loved her! He would tear the skies apart for her if she wanted him to, mortal form and all. She was his salvation and yet she was saying that she didn't care anymore. She was washing her hands of him, forsaking him, like everyone else had done before her. He'd never thought she'd do it too, not his Darcy…

His heart cracked in his chest. He loved her. He couldn't let her go.

But then he blinked and his fingers were clutching nothing but thin air, the slam of the door echoing in his ears.

His head swam sickeningly.

Loki's knees crashed down to the floor and he let his arms fall helplessly to his sides. His eyes were glassy and vacant. She was gone. Darcy was gone. She'd left him. Really left him.

"I love you…" he gasped, feeling his gut churn. "I need you…"

There was nothing to hear him but the empty apartment.

XXX

"So you're over?" Jane's eyes gleamed at Darcy over the bucket of ice that rested on her lap. "Like, really over?"

"That can't be." Thor grumbled darkly from the corner before Darcy could nod. Darcy glared at him, as he did back at her; his arms were folded across his broad chest, eyes low, dark and menacing. Not that he could scare Darcy.

_Self-righteous prick_, she thought in her head.

He pushed off rom leaning against the wall and loosened his arms. "He needs you. You are all that keeps him from reverting to his old ways."

"I don't care." She bit back, making every word crisp and clear. "I'm not going to give up my life for him. I'm a person too. I deserve my own happiness."

"You are being selfish."

"Screw you!"

She knew Thor was protective of Loki, but she had herself to think about. Jane would side with her boyfriend, so who was left to cover Darcy's back? _Me, myself and I_, she answered in her head.

She peeled her hand out of the bucket of ice and tried not to wince. Not broken, just badly, badly bruised. At least it hadn't swollen; Darcy hated swelling. It was so unsightly. Still, the purple on the heel of her hand was hardly attractive either. She grimaced at it, but let Jane put the bucket down and lean forward eagerly, her elbows on her knees.

"Is he still there?" she asked softly, drawing Darcy out of her angry bubble. "At the apartment, I mean?"

Darcy shrugged, flickering her eyes to Thor warily. "I don't know." She huffed. "And I don't care. He's not my problem anymore."

"But Darce…" Jane's voice was even more whining and annoying than Loki's had been. She started to wonder if she was still in a mood; she never got irritated with Jane normally. "You two were so good for each other."

"Try telling me that after one of our daily rows, okay." she snapped back fiercely.

"You are being unreasonable." Thor cut in again, still booming with antagonised power. "We give you refuge at such a late hour after you have abandoned my brother and now all you do is insult us. If our hospitality is so unwelcome then feel free to leave."

"Thor!"

Jane and Darcy just stared at the god, though with totally different expressions. Jane's was annoyed looking. Maybe she was on Darcy's side to a degree after all.

"That's not fair." She argued in Darcy's stead. "She needs our help and she's our friend. We can't just kick her out."

"She may be our friend but my brother is higher than her in my list of obligations!"

Darcy let the quarrel happen around her, eyes staring vacantly into the distance, lost in her own thoughts. Her head was still angled towards Thor. Her eyes held a strange sort of calm, thought slightly wide and glistening. She was thinking. The anger had been shoved aside for a second as Thor's words cut something deep inside her. He wasn't even concerned with her anymore, batting lightly with Jane as to where she ought stay or go.

She should have known he'd resent her coming here. While Jane was her friend, Thor was Loki's brother. She was always going to be the devil in his eyes if something in her relationship broke down.

Feel free to leave, he'd said.

Darcy stood upright sharp enough to halt the arguing couple. She was still in her own world, thinking clearly at last. And one word of Thor's echoed in her head betrayingly.

_Abandoned…_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Loki lay on the coach, staring up vacantly at the ceiling. His dull green orbs scoured the surface with disinterested, but he felt too numb to do anything else. His arm lay draped over his middle, feeling his body rise and fall with each breath.

Darcy was in the bedroom. He hadn't seen her for a while.

She'd come back. After the fight, the drama, the end that Loki had feared to be final and absolute, she'd returned to the apartment in the early hours of the morning with an empty, defeated look on her face. She looked heartbroken. And her traitorous eyes had been red. Though Loki was glad she was there, it was the manner of her return that so bothered him.

If she'd had come back after weeks, he would have understood. If she'd have come back screaming, he'd have understood. Hell – he would have understood even if Thor had been the one to march her back himself!

But she'd come back lifeless. Too soon, he thought. She should have needed time to get rid of her anger at least… but she hadn't. She was back.

And for all the relieved she hadn't gone for good, it worried Loki deeply.

He couldn't shed it from his mind.

The dull quiet thud of the bedroom door closing eased him from his thoughts, and he listened to the slow soft footsteps that followed. They were scarily calm.

"Are you coming to bed?" a strangely soft spoken voice asked from the head of the couch.

Loki stayed put. That sombre tone really made him afraid and he couldn't bear to haul himself upright and look at her. What if he saw something crushing? The defeatist tone wasn't something encouraging. He wasn't sure he could handle it.

"Loki?"

He could feel her wonder beside him, even if he hadn't caught sight of her out of the fringes of his vision. He could see the same purposely laddered tights she'd lived in since the night she'd left and then returned, the hem of her long night shirt brushing the tops of her thighs. Every fibre of his being was tempted to look, but…

"I don't know what you want to hear of me." He said, training his eyes upward again. His arms stiffened noticeably, hands resting behind the back of his head.

He still wore his jeans and shirt from a week ago, not having the will to change them. Neither of them had left the apartment since their break and make up, both just feeling numb and dead inside. Loki had stayed on the couch, night and day, while Darcy had stayed cooped up in their bedroom. Though it didn't feel like 'theirs' anymore.

"I just want you to come to bed with me." Darcy grumbled, sounding a bit more like herself. "I'm not going to kill you in your sleep, Loki."

"Yes." He sighed heavily, a sadness washing over him – even when she said his name it sounded forced and stiff. "I just wonder if it will lead to another disagreement. Perhaps it's better if I keep my distance for a while."

The small stretch of silence worried him all over again, and he felt Darcy tense beside him. "… how long is a while?" She finally urged.

Loki sighed again, and unlocked his arms from behind his head. He nudged his body upright on the couch until he was sitting, careful to keep his eyes lowered and safely away from Darcy's. Once he was sat there though, he realised the least he could do was look her in the eye while they sorted this out. His green eyes lifted imploringly to hers. "However long it takes." He said, trying to pry behind the hard glint of her orbs to the woman beneath. "I don't want to lose you again Darcy."

A strained looked crossed her face, but she wiped it clear quickly. "I came back." She bit harshly. "Doesn't that mean anything?"

"You wish to give up on us, yes?" The words tumbled uncontrollably from Loki's lips, ignoring her, and he was surprised himself to hear them and the hard edge to his voice. Demanding. "You don't feel happy with me anymore." It wasn't a question.

One look at the glum expression on Darcy's face was enough to confirm it.

She sat back, slumping herself down on the armchair behind her. Her eyes never left his for a moment, holding a strange combination of defiance and glistening misery. "You think we're over?"

"I don't know." He confessed in a rushing breath, swinging his legs from the body of the couch to face her properly. "That all depends on you."

"How so?"

"You left." Loki said simply. "You left me. Not the other way around. I know we may not be the perfect couple Darcy but I would never leave you, no matter how hard it may get. But you did. It made me think…" his gaze fell for a moment, suddenly overwhelmed by just what he was going to ask of her. When he finally picked it up again, drawing a shaky breath, broken hurt cracked his green orbs. "I guess it made me think you don't love me anymore."

XXX

"And what did she say?"

Thor's question felt like a new blow to Loki's heart and he turned to examine a piece of artwork on the wall to hide his heartbroken expression from view.

"That's the worst part." Loki half whispered, fighting to keep his voice level. His fist curled at his side at the memory, using up all of his will not to just collapse on the spot and surrender to wet, noisy tears of despair. "She didn't say anything."

He heard and felt Thor's hulking form lumber closer to his side and forced himself to get a grip. He couldn't let his brother see him so weak. It was purely degrading if nothing else.

He wasn't sure why he'd brought Thor to an art gallery. Sure Loki enjoyed art but Thor… yeah, not so much. It was either this or the antique store though, and Loki was sure they would have been kicked out of the latter rather than leaving of their own accord; he wouldn't trust Thor around delicate antiques either. Still, Loki's plan was failing him – he wasn't getting lost in the painted worlds as he'd hoped, drawing his mind from the depths of his own life's misery if only for a few hours.

He wondered on to the next painting with a sigh, hoping that this one would be the one to drive Darcy's haunting face from his mind.

"Where is she now?"

Loki's eyes scoured the portrait of a woman holding her baby, a white, somewhat grubby, shawl wrapped over her head. He'd once hoped to have children with Darcy. That was proving to be a life quickly evaporating from the future.

"She's at her mothers." He murmured. "She left three days ago. She told me she'd be gone for at least two weeks."

"You've been alone for three days?"

"I've had a lot to think about."

"Yes, but…" Thor searched for the right words. He understood Loki had a lot on his mind, but alone… "You could have stayed with me and Jane. We would have been most glad of your company."

"I fear not, brother." Loki's eyes had turned into glassy orbs as he roamed on across the gallery to the next piece of work, striding past it as if the wall was purely blank. "I have been rather depressed since Darcy left."

"You miss her?"

Loki shook his head. He did miss her but that was not what he'd meant. "I'm afraid she won't come back."

A heavy hand clapped down on Loki's shoulder and while the gesture ached at his bones for how much he loathed it, he didn't have the will to shrug his brother away. He let Thor halt his wondering, though kept his back firmly to the God behind him.

"She loves you, Loki." He insisted in a soft, sentimental voice that Loki thought didn't become him. He felt the arrogant pangs of his dark side rear their heads and fought to quell them. "For all fights and rows brother, she really does love you. You must remember that. For as long as you still love her in return then there is nothing that can tear the two of you apart."

A sad smile flickered over Loki's lips. Thor seemed to live in a fairy tale, he thought. Well, to him it probably was that – after all he already had his mortal wife and home, a kingdom waiting for him to rule when the time came. He probably thought Loki and Darcy were just having a lovers quarrel and it was their stubborn attitudes that swelled it any further. Loki could feel it though. It just felt like him and Darcy were over. The spark was gone. They had no connection to each other anymore.

"I will always love her, Thor." Loki said, stepping forward again, gently freeing himself from Thor's grasp. "But what can I do when what's tearing us apart is each other?"

His heart sank when his brother could offer him no answer.

Loki wondered on through the art gallery feeling his eyes glaze over, surrendering to the thoughts of Darcy in his head. He couldn't help it anymore; he savoured the dark glossy hair, those mysterious eyes that always held conflicting emotions, always bright with life… she was incomparable. Loki felt a wave of ice crash over him, sending shoots of cold he hadn't felt since he'd been in a Jotun body. He didn't want to understand it.

"I'm losing her Thor." He breathed quietly, knowing his brother could hear him behind. "I'm letting her go."

"What?" Thor's voice was sharp, and a hand found Loki's shoulder. This time harder than before. It spun Loki round forcefully to stare into his brothers burning blue orbs. "You cannot." The giant said simply. "If you let her go we all know what you might become."

Loki shrugged him off again, but made no move to turn. "It's not just me I have to think about." He fired back, a defiant spirit lighting up his gaze. "Her happiness is at stake as well, Thor. I cannot just forsake her life so carelessly so that I may live in peace. It is not fair, and I won't do it."

Thor orbs were raging with a restrained fury, and for a moment Loki felt a flicker of fear for Darcy. "I did not cross worlds and fight for you in the courts of Asgard just to have you give up!" The God of Thunder spat with outrage.

"So you would destroy her life to save mine?"

"You are my brother-"

"That's not the point!"

Disapproving stares met Loki's shout and he felt his cheeks flush, a combination of anger and embarrassment. He thought about staying, but changed his mind when he saw the security guard twitch. One more outburst from them and they'd be out; and Loki was certain he and Thor were not done talking yet.

He stormed from the chamber with purpose and Thor followed, the two walking in mute silence until they emerged on the bustling streets again. Still Loki didn't stop. He marched on until they were free of the confining streets and in the open space of the park.

He paused, back to his brother and sighed heavily as he realised where his feet had led him. "This is cruel…"

Thor stepped forward, tense. "What?"

Loki's face lost his anger, eyes scanning brokenly over the park. They lingered on one bench, imaging the two love-struck figures that had sat there, glued at the lips, a year ago. "This was me and Darcy's first date."

Loki was grateful for Thor's silence, losing himself to the memories. They were happy then. Both of them had felt the spark and had agreed to go on a date to see where it led. A picnic, a stroll and a lip locking later, they had confirmed their feelings for each other. Loki had loved it. And he had loved her. He was fairly certain that back then, she loved him too.

Oh, the naivety…

"I cannot understand you, brother." Thor's deep voice finally cut in. "If you love her so, how can you let her leave?"

Loki sighed again. "I cannot force her, Thor. If Jane was unhappy, would you tie her down to the bed and force her to stay? Even when you knew it was killing her inside?"

"Of course not!" the god refuted violently. "I love Jane with all my heart. I could never harm her."

Loki shook his head lightly. Amazing how his brother could phrase exactly how he felt in words, yet still lacked the empathy to understand what Loki was feeling. "Exactly, Thor. And yet you ask me to do the very same to the woman I love. It's not right. I surrendered the right to be a tyrant when the judge's hammer slammed down in Asgard. Destroying the world or destroying one… the burden I would feel would still be the same." His eyes rolled to Thor's and locked with his. "I have changed Thor. And now it is my undoing."

Thor hand twitched and Loki knew he was fighting the urge to shoulder-clap again. He caught himself just in time to lower it to Loki's upper arm. "You must not give up." Thor encouraged softly. "When Darcy returns perhaps things will go back to how they were."

"I agree the space is what we need, but if things are to return to before then it is in vain." Loki's head shook. "We need a remedy, not a delay."

"I will not let my brother sink into such unhappiness."

Loki's eyes shot back up to Thor's warningly. If he was going to do anything to Darcy… "You cannot fight it." He hissed. "Nor can I. This banishment was not meant to be a privilege, it was meant to be a curse." His eyes lowered down to the bench again. "And by Odin, they have achieved it."

For a moment he waited for Thor to say something, almost certain there would be another optimistic remark to come from the god's mouth. The silence near shocked him.

He sighed heavily. A week and a half and his destiny might be decided for him, wholly depending on what Darcy had decided to do by the time she got back from her visit. Whatever happened, he knew something would change – but would it end with he and Darcy together, or not?


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Thor pushed the food around his plate restlessly, not even attempting to build up an appetite. His cheek rested heavily on his fist, elbow propped up on the dining table surface.

Across it, Jane was a mirror image of him.

His eyes lifted to her and their gazes met, a string of understanding passing between them. "You are thinking of Darcy and Loki?" Thor's deep voice asked, though he knew his answer long before Jane nodded glumly. He set his cutlery down on the plate and abandoned the food. "As am I." he confessed.

Jane sighed heavily and let her unused fork lower. "I don't know what to do…" Her eyes lowered, staring off into the distance with a weighted sadness.

Thor understood it with ease.

"I know." He straightened up and ran a frustrated had through his golden locks. "It is maddening. What do you do with two people that hate and love each other with equal measure?"

A smile pricked a Jane's lips. "Let them kill each other and be done with it?"

"Tempting." Thor agreed.

Jane thought of the apartment, just a few blocks away. Darcy had got back from her trip a few days ago, and as far as Jane knew, there hadn't been any bust ups yet. There hadn't been anything else though either. She wasn't sure if that was good or bad, too afraid to ask in case the answer was one she didn't want to hear. A break up would be horrific, but after the events of a few weeks ago, it didn't seem like such a ridiculous possibility anymore.

Loki and Darcy were a cool couple… they just didn't seem to know it when it counted. Every aspect about their personalities complimented each other to a tee, keeping the other in check and driving them on at the same time.

"Does he ever really hate her?" Jane suddenly wondered aloud.

Thor sighed and stood to take his plate to the kitchen. He took up Jane's too. "I do not think so." He admitted, setting the full plates by the sink.

He hadn't told Jane of the contents of his conversation with Loki a few weeks ago. He didn't think his brother would thank him for it. Even Thor himself was still trying to get his head around it: his brother had seemed so weak, so fragile and breakable - all over this one woman! Spilling out his heart to Thor … it had made the god see him in a new light. Refreshing just how much was at stake with this relationship.

"Although," he went on in a dark tone, keeping himself turned away from the table, "He tells me that when they fight he comes close to striking her. Perhaps there is some vehemence stored that we are not aware of."

The legs of Jane's chair scraped along the floor as she rose to join him. Seconds later, her arms were winding around his waist her cheek resting against his back. Thor let her, finding her clasped hands over his stomach and holding them together with his as she hugged him. "Perhaps there's nothing we can do." She murmured into the back of his shirt.

Thor's eyes narrowed at the thought and he rejected it, turning in his lovers arms. "Never." He refuted, hands planting firmly at her waist. "There is no such thing as a lost cause."

A brief, but sad, smile flickered over Jane's lips and for a second Thor thought she would argue back. He was happy when she just tightened her arms around him and rested her head on his chest, completely surrendering to the embrace.

"At least we don't have that sort of problem." She breathed, letting her eyes flutter shut.

They didn't stay that way for long though, as Thor's finger snaked under her chin and tilted her face up to his. Her eyes opened instinctively, finding his burning crystal orbs in a heartbeat.

"I would die if you left me, Jane." The god said darkly and solemnly, making Jane believe that every word of it was true. "There is no point to my life if you are not in it."

The little smile came back. Her fingers reached up and laced through the glorious golden locks she was so jealous of, brushing the strands back from the god's angelic face. She stretched up onto her toes and pressed a feather light kiss to his lips. "I'm not going anywhere." She reassured in a dedicated whisper, pulling back to stare into his orbs again.

They were dark with desire.

She let Thor's hands close in on her hips, their mutual kiss of passion driving her back from the kitchen as she sealed her promise.

XXX

"How often are you having sex?"

Darcy spluttered on her coffee as Jane suddenly broke the question, her hand flying to her throat as she coughed herself clear. "What?! Jesus, what the hell, Jane-"

"I'm serious!" Jane protested across the table, nodding calmly as if she'd just asked about what she'd had for dinner the night before. Her shoulders shrugged, hands cupped around her coffee cup. "It's important. If you're not having sex then there's a problem."

Darcy's brought her fingers to her temple in a vain attempt to hide her blushing cheeks. Blushing… how low had she sunk?, she wondered.

"I am not discussing my sex life with you, Jane!"

A call for coffee and this was what she got? She'd thought her friend was after a catch up after her time away, but…when had Jane gotten so scheming? Darcy's eyes narrowed and she took a surly sip of her coffee, still brewing over Jane's question.

She'd got back little over a week ago, still as answer-less as the day she left. Her mother had shed little light. Although she couldn't help but wonder what sort of advice she'd expected from a woman who'd had three husbands! But even the change of environment hadn't given any help, hadn't opened her eyes to what she wanted.

Her cheek propped up on her fist glumly as the thoughts ran through her mind. "I couldn't stop thinking about him…" she breathed, more to herself than anything.

Jane leaned forward eagerly in her chair. "Maybe you missed him. See, it might not be as bad as you think between you two. Sometimes space is all you need."

"But then you come back."

Awkward didn't cover it. Loki had barely been able to look at her since when she'd got back to the apartment, hardy spoken to her other than stiff, forced, brief words. It was strange and unnerving… but at the same time Darcy was grateful. She wasn't sure if she was ready to talk yet.

But sex… yeah, that definitely wasn't on the agenda. Loki hadn't kissed her, hadn't held her hand – wouldn't even sleep in the same room as her any more.

If wasn't because he didn't want to. It was something that scared Darcy a lot more: fear. Every time Loki looked at her she could see the fear in his eyes, none of that spirit remaining that she'd so loved to battle with before. The fact that he was really that scared of leaving…

"Don't change the subject." Jane quipped, tipping her head to the side demandingly. "How often are you having sex?"

Darcy pulled a face before she surrendered. "Not since I got back. Before then… once a week really."

"Not since…" there was no mistaking the whiteness washing through Jane's features, the disbelieving breath to her voice. Darcy's eyes narrowed further; _the lucky slut probably had had her Norse god _tend _to her last night_. True, Jane had a sort of glow about her that made Darcy more than envious.

"We can't all have a Norse sex god to see to our womanly needs." She fired back laden with sarcasm, leaning back in her chair.

Now it was Jane's turn to blush, but she didn't look all that unhappy about it. "Maybe I do." She said smugly, straightening up in her chair. "And maybe that's why we have a healthy relationship."

Darcy's eyebrow arched. "A sex based relationship?"

"It's not sex _based_." Jane corrected. "It's sex supported. There's a difference. Whatever it is, how many times have I walked out the door because of our relationship falling apart?"

Darcy grimaced and turned her head away. None, she answered bitterly in her head.

But was sex really the key? The more she looked at it, the more it was looking like a factor. At the start of her and Loki's relationship, they'd been at it like rabbits, the fight level through the floor. And now the roles were near reversed. Sex had become a makeup after a row, a way to work out the last of their brutal aggression more than anything.

The glum cloud hung over her for the rest of the day, and Darcy found herself glaring at Jane, wishing their roles could be reversed. She may have her answer – but implementing it was a different thing entirely.

Loki was barely talking to her, let alone willing to sleep with her! And she knew the whole point of the plan was that this was something they both wanted.

She was uncharacteristically nervous as she came home from the coffee trip, finding Loki sprawled out on his back on the couch, one knee drawn up. His hands rested on his stomach, eyes locked dully on the ceiling above.

Darcy sighed and kicked off her boots. "Loki." She said, sounding almost like a whine as she trudged towards the couch.

Loki didn't move.

"Loki." Darcy didn't stop until she was stood at Loki's side. Still he didn't so much as blink at her. Her knee nudged his side: "Loki."

Her patience was running out fast. Mad or not, awkward or not, Darcy didn't do subtle – her knee jabbed into Loki's side so hard it tore a grunt from Darcy, shooting the vacant man back to the sitting room with a groan of pain. He shot upright, hands flying to his middle, but Darcy cupped his startled face in her palms and closed in on his mouth in one fluid motion.

Her lips had barely pressed against his before Loki's hands secured at her wrists and dragged her away, forcing her face back from his.

Her heart skipped a beat as she stared into his blazing green eyes. "Are you crazy?" he hissed trough gritted teeth, orbs clashed with anger and pain.

Darcy tried not to smile at her result. Damn – all this time she'd let him wallow, and all it took was for her to beat him up a bit to bring his fire back? God, she should have kicked him ages ago!

Suddenly, the touch of his cool fingers on her skin sent electricity through her, sensitized to him in every way. She drew in a ragged, shaky breath.

Then Loki's orbs flickered over his grip on her wrists and his anger was washed out with horror; his hands dropped in heartbeat. Darcy grabbed his sleeves before he could back away, pulling him unwillingly back to her. Her nerves had burned out – if only Loki could say the same! His eyes looked positively terrified, but Darcy was smart enough to know it wasn't of her – it was what he knew himself to be capable of.

"Let me go, Darcy." He breathed, as Darcy pulled herself closer, her mouth millimetres from his as she honed in.

Her lips flickered in a smile. "Wanna know what me and Jane talked about today?"

Loki's face was stiff as he leaned back, eyes flickering down to Darcy's mouth. She could see his Adam's apple bobbing anxiously. "What?" His voice sounded weak, not used to being used aloud. They'd barely spoken since Darcy's return.

Darcy tried to stop her heart dancing at the sound of his voice, forgetting how soft his tone could be, how gentle, even with the hard wariness in his eyes. She tried not to let that chip her pride too much. He was just defensive. Even her blood tingled uncertainly, the touch of his cool skin so unfamiliar to her after weeks of separation and avoidance.

"Sex." She purred quietly, undeterred. "She said that a healthy relationship has healthy intimate relations, and that's where we've been lacking."

She didn't miss the way Loki gulped. Nor the way he leaned further back to put more distance between them. "Darcy, we need to talk."

"I thought we were an act now, talk later sort of couple."

"Darcy…"

Darcy didn't let up, saddling her body closer to his until she stood between his knees. Her fingers moved to lace through his dark soft hair. Loki's hands flew to capture hers and he grasped her wrists again, peeling her off him and planting her hands firmly at her sides, well off of him.

His eyes blazed again. "Stop it." He demanded, rising to his feet. Darcy's eyes followed him, reminded of how tall he was compared to her. And with that fire in his eyes… "I don't think dragging me to bed was exactly what Jane meant. We're in trouble Darcy. I don't think it's as simple as sleeping together. It'll take more than mindless sex to solve our problems."

Loki watched Darcy's eyes narrow the more he spoke and knew his own eyes were mirroring hers. Typical, he thought. They barely speak, and when they do, they manage to spark of another argument. That was where this was going. He could see the hostility in Darcy's eyes. He released her wrists to run a frustrated hand through his hair as Darcy's mouth thinned angrily, hating himself all over again. Give her space, had been his tactic. And his own space too. But if they only came back to each other afterwards just as on edge as before, what was the point?

Finally, Darcy's hands rose again, but not to grab him. Her fists thudded hard into his chest and Loki staged back a step, the back of his knees hitting the couch. It was his sheer blazing determination that kept him from overbalancing.

"Oh, fuck you!" she spat in outrage, turning on her heel. "Forgive me for actually _trying._ If you find me that repulsive, then just forget it!"

Loki's blood fired afresh. "Quit being so dramatic." He snapped after her as Darcy stormed her way to the bedroom, kicking everything in her reach as she went. He followed her with lengthy, purposeful strides, hand catching the closing door before she could slam it in his face.

Darcy's shoulder threw against it, trying to block him out. "Me dramatic? Who's the one who's taken the vow of silence against me for the last week and then when you do you're your mouth it's to yell at me?!"

"I'm not the one trying to force you into sleeping with me! You really think such a pointless tactic would make things any better?"

Darcy groaned as she pushed her weight against the door, but Loki held it open. He knew he could force it open further but he wanted her to struggle. It might wear her out faster; make his life a bit easier if she had less energy to work with. "It's better than nothing." She grunted persistently. "If I'm that unattractive to you then just sod off, you ungrateful bastard."

Loki sighed, though inside his heart raged at her suggestion. "You know that's not it, Darcy. Of course I'm attracted to you."

Boy, was he ever! This spirit of hers never failed to ignite his blood needily. Yes, he wanted her, but… he held himself back, not wanting to do anything unless he wanted it for the right reasons. Blood lust and aggression wasn't one of them.

"Why the hell did I even come back?" Darcy muttered, her arms trembling with the effort of trying to hold the door from flying open. "Do you even love me anymore Loki? You won't look at me, you won't kiss me – if you want us to stay a couple maybe you should freakin' act like we're one! If you hate me that much then why don't you just leave-"

The words didn't even get to finish leaving her lips before she saw the anger snap in Loki's orbs and knew that she'd pushed past the point of no return. She didn't have the time to so much as gasp before Loki forced the door open, staggering her back in the process. His hands found her wrists and Darcy's head span as she thudded back on the bed, Loki's body looming menacingly over her. All she could see was his fiery emerald orbs, holding such a blazing rage it made her heart skip a beat.

Loki's teeth were bared, gritted. Darcy was all too aware of his knees either side of her hips, the low level of his body, so his chest grazed over hers. She drew in a ragged breath.

"Don't say that." Loki growled in a way that made Darcy's stomach flop. "Don't you ever say that! I love you more than life itself Darcy, and don't you ever question that."

His voice was low and dark, a threat worked in with his tone. It was her fault, he snarled in his head, knowing she was completely vulnerable beneath his body, her wrist pinned down by his hands. The way she so carelessly cast aside his feelings, degraded them… gods, she was infuriating!

Regardless, his mouth dropped down and he kissed her lips hard. Darcy moaned, half in satisfaction and half in lingering irritation at her lover. He was the most frustrating man in the world.

She kissed away her burning fiery rage, pulling every part of her being into punishing his lips and tongue, fighting him every step of the way, as they did with everything.

Her heart ached; for everything she'd said to him, for every shout and hit, it just hammered home exactly what she'd felt when she'd been away on her trip: lonely. It hadn't felt right without him there. Even the him that wouldn't look or talk to her, the rooms just seemed empty without him there to fill it with his unmissable spirit.

"I missed you." She growled as Loki's lips pecked down on hers, both fighting for breath, but unwilling to break the embrace completely. "I cried for you … and you just ignored me when I got back."

Loki's heart twanged guiltily in his chest and suddenly his anger evaporated. Oh Darcy… he wept in his head. His lips kissed hers harder as he glimpsed the hurt expression on her face, so twisted with sorrow. Gods, this wasn't right. He wished he could just kiss the pain away. "I'm sorry." He breathed. "I'm sorry. I was scared. I didn't want to upset you. I didn't want you to go."

His hands slipped from her wrists to the bed, holding himself up above her. Darcy's freed hands flew to the sides of his face and tugged him down to her mouth again. "I thought you didn't want me."

Loki shook his head as much as he could. "I could never not want you. I love you, Darce. I'm so sorry."

"I needed you." It sounded almost as a whimper, her kisses urgent like she was still scared he wouldn't be there when she let him go. "I need you. I don't want us to fight anymore."

"I'm here." The words sighed from his lips and his heart cracked in his chest. He let his arms gather around Darcy's body and he rolled onto his shoulder, pulling Darcy onto her side with him so he could hold her more resolutely. His lips claimed hers hungrily. "I'll never leave you."

"Hold me." Darcy pleaded, Loki's arms instantly tightening around her. Her fingers lost themselves in his hair as her thigh crept up his. "Love me. Please."

A shuddering sigh left Loki's lips at her words. For a second he froze, his mouth peeling off hers to see her face; her eyes glistened with sadness, her mouth tugged down in the corners. And Loki knew it was all his fault.

His arms tightened around her and he rolled her onto her back, lips meeting hers again. He couldn't bear seeing that wounded expression anymore. He kissed from her lips up her jaw, then down her neck, caressing every inch of her. She had to know he loved her. If she needed his comfort then by gods, he would give it to her.

He gave her what she wanted, knowing that it was what he needed to, sighing into her neck. "I love you."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"I love you." Darcy murmured, her naked body draped on top of Loki's, their legs entwined in the sheets.

Loki's arm wrapped around her and he pressed his lips down tenderly to her forehead, both of them basking in the calm, warm glow of the aftermath of what they'd just done. "And I love you." He breathed softly, meaning every word with every ounce of his body.

Loki's head was a daze - and he wasn't sure if it was good or bad. A part of him thought he was just stunned. It had been nearly a month since they'd lain together, and now... _wow_, was all he could think. Their skin was still warm as Darcy's head lay on his shoulder, her hand resting on his chest over his heart. His hand covered hers, lacing their fingers together.

"Still think I hate you?" he asked, with a flicker of a smile, letting his thumb stroke the skin of her upper arm softly.

Her head turned into his shoulder and Loki felt her teeth against his skin at her smile. "No," she chuckled back lightly. "But you ought to." Her head stayed bowed away for a second, Loki unwilling to twist his neck so uncomfortably to see her. Her felt her grin slip, and her head rest sidewards on his shoulder again. "I'm sorry I'm a bit of a bitch sometimes."

Loki's breath caught at the same moment his smile faded. He gulped before he answered, trying not to let his happy mood slide. "A bit of a bitch?" he chuckled. "Darcy, you can be a massive bitch sometimes."

He felt her stiffen at his words, but it was nothing short of what he'd expected. At least he only meant it jokingly. Although it was true. There_ were _times where, try as he might, there could be no redeeming qualities to be found in Darcy. That was at her very worst though, and that was also mercifully rare.

His lips curved into a soft smile. "I still love you anyway." He breathed happily.

The sigh of relief that left her was more than audible and Loki let himself smile at it wider, feeling Darcy relax against him. Her arms hugged around him tighter, as she snuggled more securely against him.

"And I'm hardly much different." he sighed back, tucking her head under his chin, eyes glazing with memory. He knew he did nothing to alleviate terse situations when it came to their rows. He spurred them on. Just because he could. That was hardly a productive use of his persuasion skills. He was as much to blame for their fights as Darcy.

His hands stroked through her hair as he just held her for a silent few moments, both of them just basking that they'd gone for hours and hadn't ignored each other or fought. It was incredible. Nice... but still strange. Loki was far from complaining, praying this new peace was something they'd become familiar with in the times to come.

Darcy's fingers stroked over his chest absentmindedly, letting Loki's hold engulf her. "When do you go back to work?" she asked dreamily, fluttering her eyes shut.

Loki held his breath, chest noticeable stilling beneath her. She tried not to be too worried about it. She chastised herself for doubting, for springing to such bad conclusions unprovoked. _Only_, a perceptive voice in her head pointed out, _they weren't unprovoked. _He'd _hesitated_ - when had hesitation ever been a good thing with them?!

She surrendered to her frown though as Loki's hand left her hair to run through his own; he always did that when he wanted to hide something.

Her eyes peeled open suspiciously.

"Well," He started warily in a reluctantly voice. Darcy lifted off his chest slightly. "I don't." he finally revealed.

Darcy bolted upright out of his arms, eyes snapping open. Her jaw dropped in alarm: "What?!" she twisted at the waist to stare down at him, her long hair spilling over her shoulders. A thousand panicking thoughts ran through her head, but all she could express at that minute was shock.

Loki merely shrugged, looking guiltless. "I quit." he said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "A few days after you left."

_A few days... _Darcy's head was light, spinning dizzily. Her arms dropped beneath her and her shoulder crashed into the pillows beside Loki, rolling herself onto her back to stare dazed at the ceiling.

_How could he have quit?!, _she wondered. He liked his teaching job. He was good at it. And most importantly, they needed the money. Darcy was surprised they still had the apartment at all considering they only had her half-hearted part time wages to run on for the last few weeks or so! Being kicked out on the streets would do nothing for their relationship. Nor having to crash with Jane and Thor. She imagined having Thor poke in their affairs every moment of the day and Jane nudging about their sex life... yeah, it wasn't to be done.

"You...you quit?" Darcy struggled to get her head around it. Mainly struggling to get her head round the consequences of it. Loki was no idiot, she knew. He knew how much relied on his wages as well as hers. "What the hell possessed you to do that?"

Loki sighed heavily, but Darcy didn't dare turn to see his face. "You." he breathed. "I went to work the day after you left and I was angry. We were studying Pride and Prejudice. I overheard one of the girls insulting Darcy, and... I just snapped." He drew in a ragged breath. "Even though she was referring to the character, I was just so on edge..."

"You thought of me." Darcy finished for him. Wow... so that had been what Loki had been like when she'd gone. She'd often wondered what had happened when she'd left. "What happened?"

Another pause. "I swore at her."

Darcy's eyebrows shot up. "You swore at a seventeen year old girl because she insulted a fictional character that happened to have the same name as me?"

"I did say I was on edge, didn't I?"

"That you did." Darcy nodded numbly. Then her brow dipped again. "So did you get fired or did you actually walk?" Darcy was pretty sure teachers lost their jobs for stuff like that. She could just about imagine Loki in her head, blazing eyed and yelling at the poor student... she'd be terrified. If she was an unsuspecting teenage girl and not, well, _her_.

Loki shifted proudly on the bed beside her. "I walked before I could get fired." he said carefully, protecting his ego. Darcy understood perfectly.

She couldn't explain her smile though. The grin blossomed on her face madly and she grinned as if they weren't facing homelessness and economic disaster. Her arm wound around Loki's. "Aw, that's so..." She sought for the right word as she curled up against him again, rolling onto her side. Her lips pressed into his upper arm. "Sweet."

She could see Loki's frown form in her mind long before she knew it was there in practice. "What?" he half gasped, body twitching with the urge to sit upright and stare at her. Her comforting weight on his arm kept him down.

Darcy grinned dreamily, still hardly believing it herself. "It's sweet." she repeated. "That you cared so much." Her shoulders shrugged slightly. "Well, it was slightly crazy, but sweet all the same."

For a moment, Loki just stared at her as if _she_ was the crazy one, but as her words sank in he couldn't hold back shaking his head lightly, and the amused chuckle that was building up inside him. He surrendered to his grin as he wound his arm around her shoulders again and hugged her close.

"Oh, Darcy Lewis..." he sighed, revelling in the intimacy of their warm, touching skin. "What would I do without you?"

His eyes fluttered shut and he captured the moment, filing it away in his memory tenderly. He didn't want to forget this feeling. Not for anything. He loved Darcy... he just didn't show it enough, he realised.

"How about we make a promise?" Darcy suggested, her arm resting loosely over his middle. Her head was tucked neatly under Loki's chin. "I'll try and be less of a bitch, and you try and talk to me more. Sound fair?"

Loki's head shook lightly. "I don't want you to change who you are Darcy." he breathed, hugging her tighter. "I just want you to listen sometimes. Just ... don't overreact so much." He adjusted his chin and pressed his lips into the crown of her head. "I don't say things to hurt you, you know, but sometimes that's how you take it. The world isn't against you, Darce."

She squirmed slightly in his arms. "Sometimes it feels like it." she murmured quietly into his shoulder.

Loki's thumb stroked over the back of her shoulder blades softly and he smiled. "I'll always be on your side, Darcy." he promised. "Just don't break my heart first."

"I won't leave again." slipped through her lips instantly. Her hand curled on his chest. "I really don't want to."

She felt his mouth curve into a smile, and then she was seeing it for herself as he grinned down at her, him hands pulling her in. His mouth eased tantilisingly close to hers. "Good." he breathed, his breath on Darcy's lips making her eyes flutter. "Because I don't think I could survive without you."

Darcy's eyes shut once and for all as Loki closed his mouth on hers, kissing her softly. Her arm around his waist held them together. "Mmm," she murmured between kisses, hardly able to bear being seperated from him for too long. She basked in the comforting warmth they shared together, loving how it spiralled all the doubtful thoughts from her head. She loved Loki. "You'd get beat up in a heartbeat if my street wise mouth wasn't there to save you all the time."

Loki's lips grinned against hers, and Darcy's heart skipped a beat as he abruptly rolled them over, so he was looming over her. Her gasp was stolen from her as Loki claimed her mouth again.

This was what she needed. Something inside her felt soothed as Loki kissed her, held her - treated her like he _really_ loved her for the first time in months. And she couldn't bear to let that go. No one made her feel the way she did like Loki, both good and bad. And she felt like without Loki, she'd lose a bit of her spirit, a part of herself along with him. No one fired her blood quite Loki...

"Seems like we've got a bit of a love-hate thing going on, huh?" she gasped between kisses, her hands clawing at Loki's back.

"Yeah." Loki murmured. "You hate how I love you, and I love how you hate me."

"That's not true."

"Is so."

Darcy's lips curved in a smile and she giggled in spite of herself. A giggle - like a little girl. Still, with Loki's arms around her, his lips on hers... she couldn't help but think she hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time. Her shoulders dropped and Darcy let herself smile. Really smile. It felt weird not being forced or sarcastic. A good weird.

_Maybe this could work after all_, she thought hopefully in her head as Loki pulled back to mile at her. She felt her chest ache - happily. She felt like she could stay like this forever, just letting Loki hold her until her life was spent. How could this ever get twisted so badly? How could she have _let it_? This was just perfect and yet she'd stood by - ran away even - when it had faltered, only made it worse. She never wanted this feeling of bliss to end.

She rolled them over so she was lying on Loki's chest, gaining the upper hand at last. "How about we make a deal?" she said breathlessly. "Let's try and work this out. Okay?" she held up her pinkie finger and felt the fragility, the vulnerability creep back into her. Any other time she would have been disgusted at herself. Giggling and anxious instead of the sarcastic, untouchable woman she knew herself to be. But for Loki... as much as she hated to admit it, he made her feel like a child again, so safe and protected in his arms.

She held her breath as she waited for him, watching his eyes pool with molten, loving emerald. It was gorgeous. The smile bathed over his lips, and Darcy sighed with relief as he raised his hand, interlcking his little finger with hers. "Promise." he agreed.

"I'll listen more." Darcy went on in a calm voice. Calmer than her heart felt inside her, dancing like a little kid at Christmas.

"And I'll get a job."

Darcy released his finger to stroke her hand over Loki's cheek. "I won't get so angry all the time. As in, only when you deserve it."

Her smile seemed to shine down on Loki, and in that moment, he felt like nothing in the world could touch him. "And we'll talk more." he promised. "We won't just let things explode." He unhooked their little fingers to lace all his fingers tenderly with hers. He never wanted to let her go, her warm skin touching his.

It was a nice feeling. The warmth. That was part of the reason why he loved Darcy, and needed her so. She was warm, and holding her close let him share a bit of it. But when she was gone...then he felt cold. Inside, in his heart. And that reminded him of his Frost Giant heritage, of all the things it had driven him to do; killing, hurting, destroying - reminding him of the time where he was lost in loneliness and pain. Before Darcy saved him.

He hugged her closer, letting the feeling of warmth encase him. He wasn't a Frost Giant anymore. He wasn't an outcast. He was human, safe and loved. His spare hand reached up and stroked thrugh Darcy's dark locks, easing her head back down to his chest.

"By the way..." Loki ventured in a more wary tone. Well, he knew she wasn't going to like this much. But in keeping with their new communication promise..."Thor invited us to dinner with him and Jane. Next Saturday."

Loki felt the change in tone instantly. Darcy stiffened on top of him - it was no secret she wasn't Thor's biggest fan. Surprising, Loki had thought, considering all the time she spent admiring the pictures of her shirtless firemen calender, and it was no secret that Thor was built more than any man either of them had ever seen. Of course, he knew where her heart lay, but ..._well_, she was Darcy. She enjoyed, as she put it, her _man-candy_.

But no. Not Thor. Perhaps it was the stern conversation at his and Jane's place after Darcy had first left. Perhaps it had been the way Thor shamelessly intruded on their relationship. Loki didn't know - all he knew was the grimace that spread over Darcy's face whenever his name his mentioned.

That grimace was on her face now - Loki could feel it against his skin. A light fist thudded into his arm, voicing his woman's frustration before she did it herself: "Fuck it."

Loki just smiled.

**NOTE**

**Please review. My stats say this story is the most viewed so far in the new year, yet it is the one with the least reviews. Making me a little nervous guys. Just let me know what you think (or any ideas. Have to confess, I don't really know where I'm going with this. Just making it up as it goes along)**


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